Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters appearing within. All belong to Square.
Author's Note: So, what happened to this story? Writer's block. Ugh. It truly does suck. I apologize to all of you who were waiting for this chapter. So, has anyone figured out the song yet? And, since I realize I know little of TSW's technology, such as the barriers, I hope no one finds what I've done with the under-city to be too weird… it just fit the situation.
LIFE'S RIVER SHALL RISE
Chapter Two
A Test of Courage
Year One: 2056 - 2057
Freddie nudged Jane in the ribs, and she nearly dropped her books. "Your shadow is following us again."
Jane stifled a groan. For the past month, every time she would turn around, Neil seemed to be right there, just at the edge of the crowd, careful to stay out of speaking distance but always keeping an eye on her. Why did the idiot latch on to her? Why the hell had she saved him, anyway? Cadet Captain Harrison had taken great delight in chewing her out for attacking a first-year, making certain a nearby sergeant had heard every word. She'd spent the following two weeks on latrine duty.
And she'd earned Neil's everlasting gratitude, it seemed. It hadn't bothered her at first, because Freddie had continued to insist Neil wouldn't last the week. But a month had passed, and he still hung on. Jane would admire his determination if he would just leave her alone!
"Can you get rid of him?" Jane hissed. She'd just finished her academic classes for the day, and had an hour to work on homework or study before combat classes began.
Freddie just snorted. "If the drill sergeants had no luck, what makes you think I can?" She patted Jane's shoulder, a sly grin crossing her face. "Besides, I think he likes you! Who am I to stand in the way of 'true love?'" she gushed, laughing as Jane slapped her shoulder.
Jane stalked through the hall, muttering under her breath about traitorous best friends and morons who didn't have a clue.
Arriving at her room several minutes before Freddie, she threw herself across her bed, scattering her books on the bedspread around her. She knew she should be studying for her mathematics exam but, away from the bustle of students and Neil's constant presence, her mind turned to what she had been dreaming of all day.
Today, they would be working with Nocturnes, the bio-etheric weapons that were so effective against Phantoms. Thus far, Jane had been trained with projectile weapons, since the Nocturnes were expensive and only issued to experienced cadets. Jane had only used one once before. To actually be trained with one meant she was closer to becoming a real soldier.
"So today's the big day, huh?" Freddie asked when she came in. Nancy and Lila still hadn't put in an appearance. "They're teaching you the real stuff?"
Jane nodded, barely concealing her eagerness.
"It puts everything into a new perspective," Freddie continued. "You realize that you aren't just a student; you're a soldier, fighting to save the world. Once you learn to use the Nocturnes, the real training begins." Freddie turned to her books, leaving Jane to her thoughts.
This was it… The first two years of HMA were like basic training at boot camp crossed with a college education, over a longer period of time. A cadet could quit after two years and be accepted into the army as if they'd been through boot camp.
The more complicated training in the last two years was optional. Any soldier who wanted an officer's rank had to complete HMA. Anyone aspiring to be a technician, or one of the elite Deep Eyes, was required to finish four years as well. Jane knew many of her classmates would be gone at the end of this term. Jane intended to go all the way through.
"Speaking of Nocturnes," Freddie said slowly, "you've been selected this year to test a cadet."
Jane grimaced. "Oh, no…"
"Yup. I suggest you do it right after the trig test and get it over with," Freddie said. "Just one cadet." There was something about the slant of Freddie's eyebrows, and the sly grin that threatened to break through her serious facade, that made Jane's hackles rise. "It could be a good way to scare Cadet Fleming away from you."
"You didn't suggest…?" Jane choked, outraged.
"Actually, it was Nancy's idea." Freddie grinned finally. "I just… didn't disagree."
Jane groaned, setting down her book. There was no way she could concentrate on studying now.
Every first-year went through a sort of unofficial rite of passage, assisted by an older cadet. The pair would sneak a Nocturne and slip to the city's underbelly, below the habitation level. There they would go to the barrier's edge and locate a Phantom. This was easier below the city because there tended to be more Phantoms at ground level. The cadet would then be urged to destroy a Phantom by shooting it through the barrier. Neither cadet would be in danger, and it weeded out those who couldn't handle being face to face with a Phantom in real combat. This rite had been going on for years, and was supposed to be a secret, though Jane suspected Major Wilkes himself had been initiated in such a way, and turned a blind eye to it. After all, any cadet who was too frightened to shoot a Phantom from a safe position wasn't worth the training and hard work.
"Who decides this?" Jane demanded.
"Third- and fourth-years," Freddie said. "It's entirely random, though. But, I'm afraid you're stuck with Cadet Fleming."
Jane sighed. "All right… I'll take him after I fail trigonometry."
* * *
Neil gathered his books together as quickly as possible and fled the room before any of the others could arrive. Ted and Jason were all right, he supposed, but Cadet Michael Harrison was making his life a living hell. He needed to get to a quiet place to study before the evening classes began.
He'd staked out a small corner of the library as his own two days after Jane had defended him from Harrison. After being made to look like a fool, Michael had increased his verbal attacks on Neil, making studying a difficult task.
Dammit! Why didn't Ted or Jason at least stick up for him? Surely Michael's taunts disrupted their own studies as well! Must be one of those tests Robert told me about… It was bad enough that he had a double load of class work and combat courses where his small size was proving to be a disadvantage. He didn't need this as well. I'm being tried physically, mentally, and emotionally… C'mon, Neil, you can do it… Only four more years left of this!
Neil wondered if screaming in the library would get him stuck with kitchen duty.
"Hey," a voice said flatly.
Neil looked up and blinked in astonishment. His pretty savior stood over him, a grim look on her face. Neil wasn't certain he liked the calculating look in her gaze. She's after me… I'm toast! He hadn't meant to hang around her so much… She was in several of his classes, so their paths often crossed. And, he was forced to admit to himself, he figured he'd be less likely to be teased when she was around. From the contemptuous looks she'd given him whenever he got too near, he wondered if she thought he was actively stalking her.
That might explain why she's looking at me like I'm something disgusting she found on her boot heel…
"Hello… Cadet Proudfoot," he said carefully. He'd wanted her to notice him, but not like this. Perhaps, if he just had a normal conversation with her… "Can I help you?"
"Meet me here in two nights, after lights out," she said shortly. Neil's jaw dropped.
"Bold, aren't you?" he asked before he could stop himself.
Jane's disgusted look intensified. "All will be explained then," she said, turning on her heel and stalking out of the library.
Neil was so dumbstruck he nearly missed his next class.
* * *
About half an hour before lights out, Jane was sitting on her bunk, watching Freddie and Nancy enviously. Piled before them were suits of armor, each shiny and new. Freddie was lovingly wiping down her chest plate while Nancy had pulled on her gauntlets and was wiggling her fingers to work out the stiffness.
"That looks so cool," Lila commented from her bed below Jane. "I can't wait until we get ours next year."
"Quit HMA after this term and join the army. You'll get it sooner," Nancy advised.
"You won't be so eager once you have to maintain it," Freddie said, though there was no real complaint in her voice. "But you should see the Deep Eyes uniforms. They have a lot more gadgets," she said wistfully.
"Their missions are more dangerous, too," Nancy pointed out.
"Speaking of dangerous missions, when are you meeting your little shadow?" Freddie asked.
Jane made a face. "Tonight. Thank you so much, Nancy."
"Better wear that armor to bed tonight," Freddie whispered loudly to Nancy. "I think Cadet Proudfoot is out for your blood."
"Don't mind her," Lila said. "She's just mad she only got a sixty percent on her trig exam."
Jane growled incoherently.
"You know," Freddie said innocently, "Cadet Fleming has been passing his math exams with flying colors. I heard an instructor actually boasting about him. Maybe you could ask him-"
Jane flung her pillow at Freddie, who laughed. "Maybe I should wear my armor tonight, too!"
Jane just glowered, then made a great show of turning back to her homework.
After a few more jokes at her expense, Jane's roommates settled down. They quickly finished what they were doing before lights out, then all flashed Jane knowing grins before their faces were concealed by darkness.
Jane waited for fifteen minutes before slipping out of her bed. She quickly dressed, then picked up her shoes to put on once she had left the HMA. Then, she went to meet Neil. For the last time, she hoped.
* * *
This is a set up... Jane's doing this as revenge... Any minute now, one of the instructors is going to charge through that door, and I'm going to be expelled...
The library around Neil was dark without the lit terminals. He anxiously paced the shadowed area, occasionally banging into a half-seen chair. The spacious main room - left open because there was nothing to steal, unlike the locked archives - was silent, and Neil's breathing sounded unnaturally loud in his ears. She isn't coming! I feel like an idiot. Michael is going to turn me in to his brother, and there goes my Deep Eyes career...
So lost in thought was he that Neil nearly shrieked when a hand unexpectedly came down on his shoulder. Heart hammering in his chest, Neil whirled to see someone standing behind him, fingers pressed to shadowy lips and a long object slung across one shoulder.
"Jane?" he whispered.
The figure gave an irritated growl. "Shh..." she hissed.
Neil quelled the questions that begged to be asked and followed as she slipped off down the hall. He noticed that she didn't wear any shoes, which explained why he hadn't heard her creep up on him. He paused to yank off his own, then padded silently after her. His uneasiness and suspicion grew as they passed through several silent corridors.
It wasn't until Jane turned down a shadowy hallway Neil had never been down before and stopped before a locked door that Neil realized he was truly in trouble. The locks on the door were old, though hadn't been permitted to rust. Danger signs were plastered all over the metal surface. It was one of the maintenance doors leading to the area below Houston Military Academy.
"We're going down there?" Neil whispered as Jane fished around in her pockets, pulling out a key. With her other hand, she offered him the object she'd been toting – a Nocturne? – then went to work on the padlock.
She opened it with a minimum of difficulty, then slowly pulled open the heavy door. Neil gulped at the lightless depths revealed behind the door. She gestured him forward, pushing him when he hesitated.
Oh, God, she's going to lock me down here! This was worse than being set up for expulsion! Then, to his astonishment, he saw her dim silhouette slip in behind him before shutting the door, plunging them into blackness.
* * *
Neil's breath came in rapid gasps that sounded loud in the tunnel. Good… He's scared. Jane dug out her flashlight and turned it on Neil, who winced at the brightness. His face was pale, but he was keeping his emotions under control.
Damn. She'd been hoping for a panic attack.
"You can talk now," Jane said grudgingly.
"Do you treat all guys this way on a first date?" Neil said, his voice cracking slightly.
"Usually I don't kill them until afterwards; I think I'll make an exception with you," she said, her voice hostile.
Neil's grip tightened on the Nocturne, and she suddenly realized that he held the weapon as if it were familiar to him. "Have you used one of those before?" she asked, trying to direct the conversation to a safer subject. While waiting for his response, she yanked her shoes onto her feet, noticing he followed suit.
"I've never fired one, but my father's a captain, and my brother is a sergeant. They've let me handle Nocturnes, and I've been trained with other weapons as well. Robert – my brother – says I have a talent for knife fighting." Neil shrugged his thin shoulders.
No wonder he's lasted this long; he's grown up in a military atmosphere!
"Hmph," Jane said, feigning disinterest. Neil could be worth watching, after all.
"If you don't mind me asking," Neil said, as they followed the seldom-used corridor, "what are we doing?"
"An initiation," Jane said. She led him to a spiraling staircase, following subtle marks left by the numerous cadets who had come before. The stairway led down to the interlocking catwalks suspended beneath the city.
When the barriers had been first constructed, the cities had been at ground level. But had been tragically discovered there were disadvantages to this: A city on the ground fell faster to the Phantoms, because they didn't have to climb to reach their prey. Being raised a hundred meters off the ground provided valuable seconds for the populace to escape.
And it had been found that the barriers needed to extend under the cities as well, or the Phantoms would just come up through the ground. Thus an upper layer had been built, with access to lower levels for maintenance.
The lower city made Jane nervous. Honeycombed with girders and supports for the city, it was like a nightmarish spider web. Mixed with the supports were the skeletons of older buildings, lonely structures from better days. The whole area was dead silent but for the groaning of metal and the scuttling of vermin. The only light came from Jane's dim flashlight, small lamps suspended every twenty feet along the catwalks, and the glow of the city's barrier far beneath them.
"Initiation?" Neil swallowed audibly. "Here?" He gestured with a shaking hand.
"Have you ever seen a Phantom?" Jane asked. Her voice echoed mockingly off the struts around her, and she vowed to keep her voice down from now on. This was too eerie…
"Not up close, no. We're not leaving the barrier, are we?" he choked with sudden realization.
"Nothing that stupid." She explained what they were doing. Keeping a cadet in suspense could only make them more jittery. And knowing ahead of time wouldn't help him anyway if he truly didn't have what it took to be a soldier.
"Oh," Neil said when she'd finished. He sounded relieved, and she couldn't sense any fear in him. True, he lacked the eagerness she'd felt when Freddie had brought her down here, but it was a good sign. So there is hope for him yet…
"It's creepy down here," Neil commented. "It's… like a graveyard." He stopped, standing close to one corroded rail and gazed out at the dim buildings.
Jane stayed well back from the rails. While the catwalks were used, it was difficult to keep them all in good repair. Neil must have had a death wish to lean out over that rail and peer into the murky depths below. "I can see the barrier below from here," he said.
"Great," Jane mumbled. "Let's just get this over with, all right?"
"You're not scared, are you?" Neil's voice was almost mocking. Maybe he's not eager to face a Phantom, but the little bastard's enjoying this! Neil leaned as far as he could go over the top rail, and she imagined she could see his mirthful grin in the dark. "You don't like the dark? Or is it the heights?"
Jane considered pushing him over the edge. "The sooner we get back, the sooner I can get to bed. If you stay up too late, you won't be able to get up for the reveille in the morning. And the barrier's just ahead." She gestured to the brightening glow ahead of them. "Let's move out." She was trying to sound authoritive, but Neil only chuckled.
"Fine," he said, sounding a little sulky. She heard a rattling as he climbed of the catwalk's rail and came up beside her. "Lead on."
Couldn't he take things seriously? Jane fumed as she led him down the weaving path to the barrier's edge. Idiot! God only knows how he'll handle a crisis situation! He'd laugh at his own funeral!
So angry was she that she failed to hear the catwalk groan in protest under her; didn't feel the sagging of the metal until the panels split under her weight, and she fell through with a scream.
* * *
Now that he knew he wasn't going to be abandoned beneath the city, Neil was starting to have fun. Sure, the fierce beauty accompanying him wasn't madly in love with him, and the silent, dusty, rusted-out stretch of abandoned city wasn't his ideal date spot, but still… Well, at least he was alone with her. Now, if only he could stop himself from saying the wrong things…
Right… And maybe I'll save the world using an ice cream scoop and a paper clip… Well, it was always possible. If he could just figure out what the right things Jane wanted to hear…
Ahead of him, Jane marched forward, her posture stiff and properly military. She's taking this way to seriously…
Neil hastened to catch up to her. He opened his mouth to call out to her, to try to find some way to pry her out of her shell. She'd seemed interested in his military connections… could he use that?
Jane's scream jolted him sharply from his thoughts. He jerked his head towards her in time to see her head disappear through a gaping hole in the metal. "No!" Neil cried, tensing to lunge after her, then stopping himself. The metal around the hole was rusted through and likely wouldn't be able to support his weight. Besides, he was too late. "Shit!"
"Help!" Jane's voice came from below, and the breath Neil hadn't realized he'd been holding was expelled in a gasp. Her voice was close, and she wasn't falling. Had she landed on a walkway below?
"Where are you?" he called. He dropped the Nocturne to the walkway, then lowered himself to his belly to distribute his weight more evenly, and crawled to the edge. "Are you all right? Can you get back up here?"
"I'm below you… under the catwalk! I need help…" Even in an emergency, he noted absently, the admission sounded as if it pained her.
Lowering his head over the edge, Neil peered underneath. He could just make out Jane's form in the shadows, clinging desperately to the supports under the broken section. There were no other walkways below for another fifty or so feet. He'd have to pull her up…
"Any suggestions? I'm not sure I can just lift you up," Neil said desperately. He didn't have the strength to pull up her dangling body, and he didn't think the floor could have taken their combined weight anyway once he had hold of her. "Maybe if you could swing your legs up here, I could grab them and pull you up. That way, you could still support some of your weight with your arms while you hold on… Maybe the floor could take it."
"I'll try, but I'm not that flexible," Jane said. "Get to the hole's edge and try to catch my feet."
Neil crept to the torn metal, feeling it sag under his weight. He examined the situation as he did: The broken section was a hole roughly six feet in diameter. Two of the parallel girders underneath, the two Jane was gripping on to, had been exposed, and they looked firm, but they were only two inches wide. There was no way he'd be able to securely balance on them… and there was such a big drop below…
Jane swung, curving her body almost in half as she tried to bring her ankles into Neil's grasp. One of her legs didn't reach quite so high, and Neil was horrified to see the ragged tear in her pants… the raw flesh beneath… He leaned forward to grab her legs but missed by several inches.
Jane swung backwards, nearly losing her grip in the process. "It's too high," she said miserably. The desperation in Jane's voice tore at Neil. I won't let you fall… You don't deserve this! He pursed his lips thoughtfully as he considered how high Jane had been able to swing herself. It could work…
Neil began to crawl out along the girders, lying flat across the parallel bars, ignoring the metal's sharp bite into his chest and legs. "What are you doing?" Jane asked from below.
"Climb up on me," he commanded. Neil flipped himself over, curling his knees over one bar, then grasping the other and lowering himself until he was suspended beneath them. "Try to get your legs up on me, then crawl over here and climb out."
Jane didn't question him; she flung her body forward, bringing her legs up to land heavily on Neil's chest. His breath was knocked out of him, and he nearly lost his grip. His vision blurred alarmingly, and he had a wave of vertigo as he imagined plummeting to his death…
Now, Jane could reach one leg up and carefully wrap it around one of the bars above Neil, following with her injured right leg. From there, she was able to climb out. Neil, still a little dizzy and breathless from her blow to his ribs, was slow to follow, and she had to help pull him away from the rusted area.
"Are you all right?" Neil gasped.
Jane examined her leg. "It's just a scrape. I'll have to disinfect it and it'll hurt like hell later, but it's nothing bad. What about you?"
"Don't worry… Just a couple of broken ribs and a collapsed lung," he joked weakly. "That's quite a kick you have."
"Hmph," she said. Her expression looked thoughtful in the dim glow of the nearby barrier, and almost… respectful?
"I guess we're even now," Neil said, after finally catching his breath.
"Yeah," she said. Then, hesitantly, "Good work, Cadet Fleming… Neil," she said.
"Let's go back," he said, climbing to his feet. "You need to see a medic – "
Jane grabbed his arm. "We came down here for you to shoot a Phantom and prove your worth," she reminded him.
"You still want me to do that?"
She dropped the Nocturne in his arms. "The barrier's right there," she said firmly. "That should be easy after this. After you saved my hide, do you think I'm going to let you fail this? I don't want to tell anyone I was saved by a wuss."
Neil smiled. "All right. Let's get this over with. But this time, watch your step. I don't want to make rescuing you a habit."
"This will be the last time," Jane promised, hobbling forward.
Neil followed, his steps light and airy despite his recent brush with death. Maybe things would go right, after all!
To Be Continued…